Reel mechanism



Oct. 26, 1943. [VERSEN ET AL 2,332,576

REEL MECHANISM Filed Oct. 30, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig 1 INVENTORS L Oren z lye/1S en anal F r'anz J. Wa/dschu rz Oct. 26, 1943.;

L. IVERSEN ET 'AL REEL MECHANISM Filed Oct. 30, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Lorenz 'lrer'sen and Franz JLWa/dschufz Oct. 26, 1943;

L. lVERSEN ET AL REEL MECHANISM Filed 0d. 50, 1941 5 SheetsSheet 5 INVENTORS Lorenz lye/"sen and Fra qz dWa/aschufz Patented Oct. 26, 1943 REEL MECHANISM Lorenz Iversen and Franz J. Waldschutz, Pitts burgh, Pa., assignors to Mesta Machine Com pany, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 30, 1941, Serial No. 417,132

4 Claims.

This invention relates to reel echanisms and is herein particularly described as applied to a feed reel for supporting coils of metal strip which are to be unwound for processing e, g., pickling or cold rolling.

A detailed description of a'feed reel appears in our Patent 2,236,971, dated April 1, 1941. As there pointed out, a feed reel should function to support a metal coil for unwinding; to round out any eccentricities in the coil; to pay, it out smoothly; and to provide a resistance to the paying-out if, under the circumstances of operation, that seems desirable. It is important that the re'elshall engage and center the coil quickly and that there shall be a minimum of time between the paying-out of one coil and the resetting of the reel parts for engagement of the succeeding coil. Our present invention provides these qualities in a construction which is rugged, simple, certain in operation and which requires a minimum of control by the operator.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the present preferred embodiment of our invention,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of a feed reel;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through one of the heads of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of one of the heads.

The feed reel illustrated in Fig. 1 follows generally the construction of our prior patent and a detailed description thereof is deemed unnecessary on this account. For present purposes, it will suifice to-say that it consists of a bed 2 having housings 3 and 4 slidable toward and away from one another thereon as in our prior patent and by known mechanism, as for example that shown in Moxley Pat. 1,990,084, a lifting saddle 5 for receiving and raisingcoils into position to be mounted in the feed reel and a pair of opposed reel heads 5 and I mounted on the housings 3 and 4 respectively. In Fig. 1 the-heads are shown in their inwardly adjusted position sup.- porting a coil C.

Figs. 2 to 4 inclusive show the detailed construction of the head I, and it will be understood that the head 6 is of like construction. The head is carriedon a shaft 8, which shaft is carried in the housing 4 and connected to a dynamo electric machine in themanner illustrated in our prior patent. The principal member of the head 1 is a head frame 9. The head'frame 9 has a hub 9a Cil through which it is fixed on the end of the shaft 8 by a key In and a nut I I. A spider I2 is fitted over the hub and is provided with a bearing sleeve l3. The spider is slidable axially on the hub, the travel being limited by a shoulder I4 and a stop plate {5. A key [6 prevents relative rotation of the spider l 2 and the head frame 9;

In Fig. 2 the solid lines show the spider I2 located against the stop It. This is the position which the spider occupies when a coil is centered on thehead. However, the spider is biased away from the shoulder l4 and toward the stop plate I5 by coil springs ll. These springs are carried by studs 18 threaded into the .head frame 9 and fit into pockets IS in .the back of the spider I2. The spider has=a coil engaging boss Hot, in consequence of which only the edges of the innermost wraps of the coil are in contact with the reel head.

The spider is radially-slotted to provide four sets of guides 20 for chuck members 2i. Each of the chuck members has a radially extending guide portion Zla which works in guides 20, a cylindrical coil engaging portion 2 |b and a conical coil engaging portion 210. The back of each chuck portion Zla. is provided with a pair of ears 22 to accommodate a pin 23. A link 24 is carried on each pin. Each of the links 24 extends inwardly and rearwardly and at its inner end is mounted on api'n 25 carried in the head frame 9. In consequence, relative' axial movement of the head frame 9 and the spider 12 causes the chuck memhas 2! to move radially inwardly or outwardly on the spider. Y

The guide portions Zia of the chuck members 2| lie behind the coil engaging boss I2a of the spider; see Fig. 3. This eliminates any possibility of the jaws damaging the strip edges.

In Fig. 2 the chuck jaws are shown in their expanded position. This is the position they occupy when the spider is against the stop M. The dotand-dash lines in the same view show the position of the spider and the chuck jaws when the spider, actuated by the springs ll, has been moved against the stop plate l5.

The head frame it carries a rim shield 26 which l5 and collapsed the chuck jaws 2|. The saddle is elevated and the housings 3 and 4 are moved together. The collapsed chucks enter the eye of the coil. The conical portions 210 facilitate this entry. Continued inward movement of the housings 3 and 4 brings the bosses |2a of the sp ders l2 into contact with the outer edges of the innermost wraps of the coil, and further inward movement of the spiders I2 is thereby prevented. However, the inward movement of housings Ii and 4 is continued, thus moving the head frames 9 closer to one another against the resistance of the springs ll. This continued movement causes the links 24 to swing from the dot-and-dash line position of Fig. 2 to the solid-line position, thereby expanding the chuck jaws 2|. This expansion centers the coil on the reel heads, firmly engages the inner wrap of the coil with the chuck jaws and removes any eccentricity from the coil.

The coil is then paid out for processing, the shafts 8 serving either to drive or retard as may be desired. The strip feeds smoothly from the reel, since the heads engage th edges of the innermost wraps only. On the paying out of the innermost wraps of the coil, the bosses I 2a are disengaged from the strip and the restraint on the spiders l 2 is thereby removed. The springs I! thereupon function to advance the spiders against the stops i5 and collapse the chuck jaws.

As will be seen from Fig. 2, the links 24, when i the chuck is-in the expanded position, lie at an angle to the axis of rotation of the head approximating a right angle. In consequence, they have a powerful toggle-like action which insures the rounding out of the coil. On the other hand,

when the time comes for the springs IT to collapse the chuck, the linkage provides substantially the maximum mechanical advantage for starting the inward movement of the chuck jaws. In consequence, there is no danger of the springs I! failing to overcome the initial friction, and the chucks are collapsed smoothly and with certainty.

We have illustrated and described a present preferred embodiment of our invention. It will be understood, however, that this is "by way of illus tration only and that the invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. A reel comprising a rotatable head, means for moving the head axially toward a coil of material to be engaged and supported, a spider associated with the head and movable axially relatively thereto but fixed against rotary movement relatively thereto, means biasing the spider toward the point of coil engagement, radially extending guides on the spider, chuck jaws for engaging the eye of the coil, the jaws being mounted in the guides on the spider and only inwardlyand-outwardly movable therein, and means for expanding the chuck jaws upon relative axial movement of the head and the sp de to d One another.

2. A reel comprising a rotatable head, means for moving the head axially toward a coil of material to be engaged and supported, a spider associated with the head and movable axially relatively thereto, means biasing th spider toward the point of coil engagement, chuck-jaws for engaging the eye of the coil, the jaws being mounted on the spider and inwardly-and-outwardly movable thereon, and links connecting the chuck jaws and the head and effective for causing movement of the chuck jaws upon relative axial movement of the head and the spider.

3. A reel comprising a rotatable head, means for moving the head axially toward a coil of material to be engaged and upported, a spider associated with the head and movable axially relatively thereto, means biasing the spider toward the point of coil engagement, chuck jaws for enaging the eye of the coil, the jaws being mounted on the spider and inwardly-and-outwardly movable thereon, and links connecting the chuck jaws and the head and eliective for causing movement of the chuck jaws upon relative axial movement of the head and the spider, the links lying at an angle approximating a right angle to the axis of rotation of-the head when the chuck jaws are expanded.

4. A reel comprising a rotatable head, means for moving the head axially toward a coil of material to be engaged and supported, a spider associated with the head and movable axially relatively thereto, the spider having a coil-edge engaging face, means biasing the spider toward the point of coil engagement, radially extending guides on the spider, chuck jaws mounted in the guides and projecting beyond the coil-edge engaging face of the spider, the chuck jaws being inwardly and outwardly movable relatively to the spider but fixed against axial movement relatively thereto, and means for expanding the chuck jaws upon axial movement of the head and the spider toward one another.

LORENZ IVER/SEN. FRANZ J WALDSCHUTZ. 

